Here’s what the 28-year-old Pretty Little Liars actor and Dancing with the Stars contestant had to share with the mag:

On what he was like in high school: “A theater kid. I quit playing football to spend more time doing the school plays. It didn’t make me popular, but it definitely pushed me in the right direction. Do what you love and don’t worry about what other people think.”

On his new film The Starving Games: “It was the most fun I’ve ever had on set; we just pitched jokes and laughed during the entire shoot. The directors let us play around and try new things every day. When you watch it, you can tell how much fun we had making it. I screwed up so many takes because I couldn’t stop laughing. I really wanted to play Gale in the Hunger Games movies, so it was an honor to be able to poke fun at the character.”

On the best advice he’s ever received: “My dad always told me to not wish my life away. Sometimes we get so wrapped up with what comes next that we forget to enjoy where we are at the moment.”